Wading through mud to catch fish at Tra Loc festival

Early this morning, August 31, hundreds of people in Hai Hung commune (Hai Lang district, Quang Tri ) were present at Tram Tra Loc to prepare to participate in the Tram breaking festival. Just waiting for the opening drum to sound, they will rush out to the middle of the Tram to wade in the mud to catch fish. Tram is a place where water from the sandbanks accumulates and stagnates, like a pond.

The village elder beat the drum to open the festival.

Tram Tra Loc has a water surface area of about 10 hectares, surrounded by primeval forests and rich vegetation. This is the place that supplies water to the neighboring fields, the festival takes place when the fields have been harvested.

After the opening drum beat, hundreds of people rushed out to the middle of the pond to compete in catching fish.

Bring baskets, trays and anything that can hold the "spoils of war"

Before the festival, the water in the pond was drained, the deepest point was about 1.2m but it still did not make it difficult for farmers to catch fish.

Mr. Cap Kim Ngoan (residing in Tra Loc village, Hai Hung commune) said that today his whole family took the day off to participate in the Pha Tram festival.

A happy person after catching a golden carp

When the bag is full of fish, this person brings it home and puts it in a tank to keep the fish alive, then comes back to catch more fish.

"All year round, at this time, no matter what I do, I put it aside to participate in the festival. I waded through the mud for 20 minutes and caught two snakehead fish. Usually when I catch fish, I bring them home to cook. Snakehead fish are delicious no matter what dish I cook them with," said Mr. Cap.

People wade through mud to catch fish

The old people stood near the shore to catch small fish.

As noon approached, more and more people flocked to the pond to catch fish. Some people who had the strength to wade through the mud went to the deeper areas, while the elderly and children carried baskets and nets to catch small fish along the shore.

The Pha Tram festival has existed for more than 300 years in Hai Lang district.

Besides having abundant seafood resources, Tra Loc lagoon is also a place to retain and provide water for neighboring fields.

When hearing the shout, it means that a pond in the middle of the lake has just caught a big fish. Many species of fish such as carp, snakehead fish, silver carp... are in the baskets of the festival players. According to the people's concept, the fish caught are "heaven's blessings", the more fish caught, the more luck increases.

The number of fish caught is a "heavenly blessing" for people participating in the festival.

Mr. Cap Xuan Ta, Vice Chairman of Hai Lang District People's Committee, said that the "spoils" from the festival are not only for luck and to improve meals, but this is also an opportunity to clean, dredge, and change the water so that the landscape of Tram is always clean and fresh.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/loi-bun-bat-ca-tai-le-hoi-pha-tram-tra-loc-185240831103136665.htm